"Come in science team, this strike team two."
"Tali´zor here, we hear you Kal´Reger loud and clear."
"Just checking in on you ma´am and making sure that you're not sleeping on the job. Also, your supposed to respond within the protocol guidelines over."
"Allow me to give a small laugh Reger, there´s nobody here but us out here, I think its fine enough for going a little easy on the protocol responds. Over." Tali said a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Then we would have to disagree on that ma´am, one can never be to careful within Geth area, over." Kal´Reger said.
"If you say so, but we have´t found anything of worth here. I think its time we return to the ship and head back to the fleet, over." Tali said before she close her communication channel and return to the screen in front of her. The file she was downloading was almost done, it was a stitch together of various pieces of videos over a small fire fight between the Geth´s and the remains of a Baterian pirate ship, that had past through Geth´s space. Either they thought they could get through it quickly and out to the position that they were heading for or they did´t know that they had enter the synthetic machines territory. Regardless of their reason, it had´t ended well for them. The Geth had boarded them and open fire at them, the Baterian put up a little resistance but in the end the Geth proven to be victorious. All that had happened 6 months ago, the Baterian bodies having long since rotted away, as their husk of a ship drifted through space. It was only this reason as to why Tali and her team were out here in the first place, to gather whatever intel they could get on how the Geth operated. Nobody could know when they would advance their way of warfare and if the Quarians would ever get a chance to be able to take back their home world, they needed every single piece of information they could get. No matter how small or big amount of intel it was, that was something Tali and every other Quarian really had been taught since they were young. But for Tali the respond of finding anything that could be proven to be useful in retaking her home world, weight extra on her shoulders. Her father was an admiral and he had gone through some lengths to make sure that Tali was given command over a special ops team. Even though she was quite young and had just finished her pilgrim. She needed to being with her something extraordinary that not only he father would find useful but also the whole admiral board, otherwise both she and her father could be face with several punishment for wasting the fleet´s time and resources. As the download finish, Tali grab the file and put them on her omnitool and walk away. Along the way she meet up with the rest of her team, three other Quarians currently busy with scrambling up the few pieces of Geth equipment they could find.
"This is all you could find?" Tali ask.
"Yes ma´am, either the Baterian did´t put up enough of a fight or the Geth took with them most of their fallen. While the scientist back at the fleet will have to go through this to give us an answer on how useful the date will be, I think I am safe in saying that this is nothing more then just junk." One of the male Qurians said as he stood up.
"No doubt but we should bring things back and let them go through this before we rule anything out. Lets go." Tali said as she help picking some of the stuff up and they all headed back to their ship. Nobody said anything on the way back, the echo of their footstep, rang through the ship´s empty hallways. Which soon was empty and left to drift through space as the Quarians enter their shuttle ship and headed back to their main ship.
"Welcome back team." Kal´reger greeted them as they dock their shuttle and walk through the hanger´s hallway heading towards the ship´s makeshift workshop place to drop of the Geth equipment.
"I am not seeing a great haul today, or is it more date intel we mange to get?" Kal ask Tali.
"Not really, just videos of fire fights, some data for sure but nothing that would be out of the ordinary." Tali said.
"That´s to bad man, the admirals been breathing down on us as of late, I wonder how many more chance we will get before they remove you from command. Which would be a shame and stupid if you ask me."
"Heh, thanks for those words Kal, I kinda needed them but I think we might only have one or two mission together before I am removed and place somewhere else. If I am luck enough for that." Tali said as the two of them walk side by side in silent for a moment. It was´t until they reach the bridge, that they spoke again.
"Set the coordinates for the fleet we ar-
"Sorry to interrupt you ma´am but while you were docking we were picking up an Geth ship, two sectors from here. And it seems to be in a bad shape." The pilot said which made Tali and Kal look at one and another before they look back at the pilot.
"Are you sure about that, it could very much be a trap. The Geth might have known that we enter their territory and put this up to lure us in." Kal said.
"That might be it sir but there is also data that show that it was a minor solar flare happening in that sector just moments ago, it would´t be unusual if the ship got hit by a flare and the last message the ship send out was for a recovery ship to bring them up. I mean even if they are machines they would need somebody to pick up them, Geth would´t just leave a ship drift through space like that and it is´t far from Geth space anyway. So it make some kind of sense." The pilot said.
Both Kal and Tali thought over this for a min, this was a rare chance to get some high quality intel that would be useful for the fleet. But both of them could´t help that this felt like a trap, it was just to good for a whole ship to just suddenly be drifting outside of Geth space. The fact that a Geth ship was out of their territory in the first place was strange enough. Not unheard of but just strange.
"If you ask me, I say we leave it and return to the fleet and maybe mention this and say we left it due to it smelling to much like a trap. But then again I am not in command here, what do you say ma´am." Kal said looking at Tali, who was still in deep thoughts. After a few more min she had reach a conclusion.
"I say we go there and take a look, if it's a trap then we can jump away towards Asari space, the Geth would´t follow us there." Tali said.
"If you say so ma´am. Okay son take us there." Kal said to the pilot who punch in the coordinates. Mins later they were in a new part of space and could see a large Geth ship. Just drifting through space.
"That´s a lot bigger then I thought, I though we would find a drop ship or whatnot. Not a frigate size ship." Kal said as he look out at the ship.
"You could say that again Keelah." Tali said as their ship close in, so far nothing showed any sign of Geth coming or the ship starting up again. Once they got close enough to were they could send the shuttle fast between the two ship and be out of sight for the Geth ship´s gun. Kal and Tali headed towards the shuttle with most of Kal´s strike team coming with them this time. Since there was still a big danger that the Geth could activate once the EMP effect from the solar flare worn off. Tali had brough with her a shotgun, a weapon she was well train in using and something that would come in hand if fighting broke off within the close quarter of a spaceship.
As their shuttle dock with the Geth ship, all 24 Quarian walk out in a squad formation, Kal taking the lead, follow by Tali. The light was off, forcing them to turn on flashlights on their weapons and suits. A feeling of fear wash over them as they explored the power down ship, they found Geth unit shell lying on the floor or bend over against monitors. They kept an extra eye on them, thinking that they would wake up any second now. But nothing happen as they walk by, mins pass by as they continue their way towards the bridge. If they reach it they could set things up which would allowed them to power up the ship without risking turning on the Geth as well.
As they reach the bridge doorway, they found it close and lock, maybe a safety plan had activated as the ship was power down. Regardless they were force to cut the door open if they wanted to enter. It took some time before they mange to cut a hole large enough for all of them to walk in, and as the last Quarian walk in they found the bridge empty safe for a chair in the center which was odd. But what was more odd and creepier was it spinning around and they found somebody sitting in it.
"Hello, my name is 9S and I have a proposal for you." 9S said as the ship power up and Geth previously hidden show them self and the door the Quarian had come through was lock with a barrier over it.
A/N Hello everyone, sorry for the long updates. Since the last update I have gotten a job which takes up my time and my chance to write this story had been very much limited. However I have decided to make at lest one new chapter per year. Hopefully around this time of May, if I am lucky I might get two extra chapter out during summer or winter breaks. Again the story is not dead, just going very slow. Thank you everyone that keeps on reading this story and for you that are wondering if I need beta readers and offer your help. I appreciate it but I already have one, they are just busy as well and we have decided that I shall finish the story first and then they can fix it later for me.
Anyway I hope you will enjoy this new chapter. Have a nice day.
